


The Weight of Us

by ohmyrowling



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age of Ultron AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-26
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-28 08:22:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5085358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmyrowling/pseuds/ohmyrowling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura is Clint's sister and Clint tries to carry everyone else's problems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Weight of Us

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a gifset I posted on tumblr so you can go check that out as well if you want. Sort of a prequel to it I guess.

Clint is just falling asleep when she calls. He feels around for his phone and answers with a gruff "It's 3am, this better be good Sis."

There is silence at the other end and Clint huffs out an annoyed grunt as he turns to prop himself up on his elbow.

"Laura, what is it? I've been awake for three days, I'm trying to slee-"

"Joey's dead."

Clint sits up so fast he gets a crick in his neck.

"Laura-"

"A mugger shot him for his watch."

He is already pulling on his boots. "Where are you?" Silence. More urgently, "Laura where are you?"

"Home. I'm at home. Cooper and Lila, they're still sleeping, they don't know-"

"I'll be there in an hour."

"Clint, you're in New York."

He shrugs on his jacket. "I'll be there in an hour."

"Clint I-"

"I'll see you soon, Sis. And Laura, I love you."

Clint hangs up and pockets his phone.

"JARVIS," he says, not really sure where he's supposed to look while he's addressing Stark's AI. He’s still getting used to staying at the tower and everything that goes along with it.

"Yes, sir?"

"I need a favor."

The jet touches down in Chicago exactly 63 minutes later and it's raining. JARVIS had been skeptical about letting Clint use one of Stark's jets without Sir's permission, even after Clint explained, but then the AI had stopped mid-sentence and told Clint that a cab would be waiting for him in five minutes to take him to the airport. Clint has no clue what changed JARVIS’ mind, but he doesn’t really care. He catches a cab and makes it to Laura's apartment on the south side in 20 minutes.

His heart breaks all over again when she opens the door. She is sopping wet for some reason and her eyes are red and puffy. He was expecting her to look sad but this- she looks lost. She wordlessly tucks herself into Clint’s arms and cries. There’s no more explaining right now, only tears and grief. Clint cries too for the amazing friend that he lost.

The next week is a bit of a blur for everyone. Laura and Joe have been married for 15 years- he's Clint's brother in everything but blood. It's all such a shock- he was only 40. Cooper is silent- Clint has barely heard him say a word all week. He just stares blankly in front of him and follows orders like a shell-shocked soldier. Lila doesn't really seem to understand what's going on, she's still a baby really, barely 6 years old, but her eyes are red and her lip doesn't stop quivering, even when she sleeps.

Clint wakes up the morning of the funeral with a spring punching him in the back. Shit, he's gonna be feeling that for a few days.

He takes a shower and gets dressed in Coop's room, cursing every time he messes up the knot in his tie. There's a knock on the front door, probably one of the neighbors with another casserole, as Clint fastens his cuff links. They're a pair of Joe's; Laura had given them to Clint that morning, told him they'd been Joey's favorites.

"Hey stranger."

Clint spins around, almost dropping the right cuff link, to find Natasha standing in the doorway in a black dress and heels.

"Who-"

"JARVIS told me. You know, since you haven't been answering my calls all week."

Cowed by her words, Clint turns back to the mirror and begins his struggle with his tie once more.

"Stop that. Come here."

Nat takes the tie in her hands and makes a knot deftly and precisely.

“What are you doing here, Nat?”

His voice is softer than he’d like but having her here, with her hands splayed on his chest, is the calmest he’s been since he got the call.

“You’re carrying everyone’s shit, Barton- it’s what you do,” she adds when he tries to object. “You need someone to carry yours for a little while. I’m your wife- isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?”

"I don't know- is it? We don't exactly do the conventional husband/wife thing do we?

She brushes his cheek, one of those rare sweet gestures she makes when no one else is around, and kisses the corner of his mouth.

“Uncle Clint?”

He jumps back about a foot and the corner of Natasha’s mouth quirks in a smile.

“Uh, what’s up Coop?”

Cooper fidgets in his suit, apparently unperturbed by the display he’s just witnessed in his room. “Uh, Mom says she isn’t going to the funeral.”

Clint shares a look with Natasha, who just nods and lets her hand slide down his arm.

“I got it, bud. Hey, why don’t you show Aunt Nat that model plane you showed me last night.”

He finds Laura sitting at the table in the kitchen with a box of photos and a glass of wine.

“Coop says you aren’t going to the funeral.”

“Yep.”

Clint sits down beside her and lays his hand over hers. She pulls it away and grabs her wine instead, swallowing up the rest in one big gulp. She stands and takes the empty glass to the counter for a refill.

“Laura-”

“What Clint?” she asks, slamming the bottle down  and whirling around to face him. “Joey is dead. He’s dead. My husband. The love of my life. What the hell am I supposed to do without him? What’s the point?”

Clint clenches his jaw and stands. “Cooper and Lila- they're the point. You have two children who lost a father, who need you. I know this is hard for you but Laura, it’s _impossible_ for them. You’re all they have now so you have to be strong even if you don’t think you can be.”

He closes the distance between them slowly and takes the glass out of her hand. Her other fist is clenched at her side and she’s trying not to breakdown. He puts a hand on her shoulder and squeezes.

“I can’t do this without him. I can’t- it hurts too much.”

She sounds so small and Clint wishes he could take it all away, all the pain and the suffering. (Apparently Natasha is right.)

“I know it hurts. But you can do this Laura- you _have_ to do this. You have to do it for the kids. And you have to do it for yourself.”

She nods as the tears start to flow and she buries her face in his shoulder.

The funeral is small- Clint and Laura only have each other now and Joey was an only child. The neighbors show up and so do a few of Joe’s co-workers from the accounting firm where he worked. There are lots of flowers though, most of which don’t have any sort of card. Nat steps up beside him and their hands brush.

“Pepper saw you leaving Tuesday night. Don’t worry,” she adds when he looks at her in fear. No one besides Fury, Coulson, and Nat know about Laura- it’s too dangerous for her. “It’s Pepper- she’s not going to say anything. She did tell me to give you a hug for her so you can do with that what you will.”

Clint gives Natasha a small smile and runs his pinky finger across the back of her hand. She gives him the hug later, after the funeral, after they've got Laura and the kids put to bed. She gives him one from Pepper and then she gives him one of her own.

It's one month later and Clint is staying at the tower again when Cooper calls, Lila crying in the background, because Laura's locked herself in the bathroom and refuses to come out. He borrows one of Tony's cars this time, or well, he's trying to hot-wire the most inconspicuous one in the garage when Pepper walks in.

"JARVIS told me where you were."

Clint glares at the ceiling, not sure where better to aim his displeasure with the AI.

"Sorry, Sir."

"Don't be mad at JARVIS, he keeps an eye on all of you when I can't. What's going on, Clint?"

They've never talked about it apart from a quick 'thank you' the next time he'd seen her but she didn't seem worried by it. It's not like they interacted all that often. She was busy running Stark Industries and he was busy avenging or whatever.

But she's got this look of concern on her face that makes Clint think she could mother even the Hulk.

"Cooper- my nephew- just called. Something's wrong with Laura."

She nods once, strides over to one of the cabinets on the far wall, and emerges with a key ring.

"Take the Spyder. It's much faster than that one."

Clint purses his lips and takes the key.

"JARVIS is programmed into the interface so if you need anything, he has the number. I also stole you one of these from Tony's lab."

Clint takes the package from her and raises a dubious eyebrow.

"A Stark phone?"

She smiles knowingly. "You don't have to use it. Anyway, it won't activate until you turn it on. I've had JARVIS disable the tracking program so no one will even know it or you are missing."

"Thank you, Pepper."

She gives him a sad smile. "You're welcome, Clint."

He spends the drive to Chicago beating himself up. He'd told Laura he'd stay, get an apartment in the city and help out with whatever she needed, but she refused. She needed to do this, she told him, needed to be strong for the kids and for herself. That's what Clint gets for opening his big mouth.

When he gets to the apartment, Lila is asleep on the couch and Cooper is sitting on the floor in front of her with his knees pulled to his chest. Clint sits down beside him and wraps an arm around his shoulders.

"Hey bud, what's going on?"

Cooper shrugs. His eyes are glassy and red-rimmed and he looks almost as broken as he had the last time Clint had been here. (Clint wonders for a second if maybe Cooper's just still broken and hasn't healed yet and feels ridiculously guilty.) "She won't come out of the bathroom. I can hear her crying and she says she's fine, but she's been in there since I woke up."

Clint squeezes Cooper's shoulders. "I'll see what's up. You ok here? Have you eaten today?"

"I made mac and cheese at lunchtime."

Clint nods and gets to his feet. "Alright bud, I’ll be right back."

He can't hear anything behind the door and the knob doesn't turn when he tries it so he knocks twice.

"Laura? Come on, it's Clint, open up."

He thinks he hears a sniffle and then the lock clicks and the door opens an inch or two.

Laura is sitting on the edge of the bathtub, her legs bouncing lightly when he walks in. Her face is red and her eyes are puffy and she's biting her thumbnail. There are three pregnancy tests sitting on the edge of the tub beside her. Clint can see the tiny pink plus signs on all three of them from the doorway.

"Aww sis, come here."

Laura stands and walks into his arms, burying her face in his chest.

"I know you said I could do this, Clint, but I'm not so sure anymore. He's everywhere and this place is just so full of him and now- I can't raise a baby without him."

Clint sighs and runs a hand over her hair. "Well, first thing's first- you need to let Coop and Lila know you're ok. They're worried about you, Laura. And then, you're gonna call the doctor, make an appointment to get checked out and make sure everything's ok. Ok?"

She pulls away from his chest and looks up at him, nodding. "Ok."

Clint kisses her forehead and then lets go of her. "Good. Now you go talk to the kids, let them know what's going on. Or don't yet, whatever that's your call, but let them know everything's gonna be ok. I gotta make a call."

He gets in the car and runs a hand over his face- nothing can ever just be simple.

"JARVIS?"

"Hello, Mr. Barton." The cool voice of the AI fills the car and Clint shivers- he's been at the tower for months now and he's still not used to JARVIS.

"Can you get Director Coulson on the line?"

"Certainly, Sir."

The phone only rings once. "Stark, I don't have time-"

"It's Barton, Sir."

"Agent Barton, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I have a favor to ask, Sir."

The house is old but it's been well-kept and the land is beautiful. There's a barn and some goats and lots of room for the kids to play. It's pretty much exactly the same as it was when they were kids. It's obvious Laura still hates it.

"Look, I know this isn't what you're used to, but there isn't room for all of us at my place in New York and you wanted to get out of Chicago."

"Well I can't say I ever expected to be here again," she says as they watch the kids run around the front yard. "I didn't even know you've been keeping it up.

"I've changed quite a bit since the last time you were here actually. There's a breakfast nook in the kitchen now, just like mom always wanted. And I finished the basement- it's nothing ornate or anything but there's carpeting and everything isn't covered in dirt anymore so there's that."

"I can't put you out like this, Clint."

"You kiddin me?" he asks ruffling her hair. The look she gives him in return could curdle milk but Clint went on anyway. "It'll be great. I don't see you and the kids enough anyway. Plus, I've got plenty of room. Kids can each have their own bedroom, they can pick out paint and everything. And I've still got my place in New York so when you guys want some space, all you have to do is ask. What'd'ya say?"

Laura still looks doubtful but she glances out at the kids, running and laughing like they haven't in months, and sighs.

"Thank you, Clint."

"Anytime, Sis."

When they are asleep that night, Clint pulls the Stark phone out of his bag and sighs before he opens it up. There are already lots of numbers pre-programmed so Clint finds Nat's and presses call.

"Hello?"

"Hey stranger."

"Hey yourself. Where you been?"

Clint walks across the porch and sits down on the swing with a sigh. "Way off the grid. I brought Laura and the kids out to the farm."

"You guys plannin on becoming farmers?"

He can hear the smile in her voice, knows she's trying to lighten things because she knows him and she can hear the weight on his shoulders.

"Nah. You'd miss me too much. Besides, pregnant ladies don't make very good farmer."

Natasha is quiet for a moment before she speaks. "How far along?"

Clint sighs. "10 weeks. She didn't even realize-"

"Yeah. Stress'll do that to you."

"She needs me."

"Hey, you don't have to explain. The team'll call if they need you."

"And you?"

Quiet. Then, "I'll do whatever you need me to do. You know that."

"Yeah, I do."

"I'll see you soon, Clint."

"Bye Nat."

When he wakes up in the morning, Natasha is in the kitchen, letting Laura spoon scrambled eggs onto a plate for her and listening to Lila explain why Mulan is the best princess.

"She's a warrior like you, see? She defeated the Huns and saved China. Just like you saved Washington with Captain America."

Nat smiles and flips the page of the book as she takes a sip of coffee.

"Uncle Clint! Auntie Nat is here! And she likes Mulan too!"

Nat smirks at him over her coffee and takes a sip. Clint moves to the stove to take over breakfast from Laura and flips a few pancakes.

"You know what else she likes?"

Lila looks at him expectantly, bouncing a little in her seat.

"She really likes playing dress up. Like, dresses, tiaras, wands, the whole shebang."

Lila looks ready for takeoff and Nat looks a little green around the edges.

"Wanna play dress up after breakfast, Aunt Nat?"

Nat swallows a bite of eggs with a gulp and smiles. "That sounds awesome, Lila."

(If Clint didn't know any better he'd think she's actually pleased at the notion of playing dress up.) (But he does and he also doesn't miss the way Natasha narrows her eyes at him when Lila looks away.)

Natasha brings her dirty dishes to the sink beside him and starts scrubbing them in silence.

"I'm gonna pay for that later aren't I?"

Nat just smirks down at her now clean plate.

Later, when she's wearing a blonde wig with a tiara and pink lipstick smeared on her mouth with a haphazard precision that can only come from a six year old, Natasha waits until Lila runs out of the room to fetch the wand she forgot in her new room and looks Clint dead in the eye and drags a thumb across her throat. He knows she's only joking (Lila has her wrapped so far around her finger it's not funny) but he still feels a small sense of dread run down his spine because there will be payback.

(It comes the next morning when he wakes up and he walks into an invisible wall of cling wrap. Nat, Laura, and the kids all laugh and Clint doesn't miss the cellphone in Nat's hand recording him.)

At the end of the week, Steve calls and tells them they're needed in New York for a mission and has he seen Natasha because Steve hasn't seen her all week.

"I'll get ahold of Romanoff," he says before hanging up.

He packs up his go bag and slings it over his shoulder. As he comes downstairs, he feels a pang of regret that he has to leave. Laura and the kids are sitting in the living room cuddled up around a giant bowl of popcorn and Nat is coming back from the kitchen with two wine glasses and a bottle of red. The scene is so disgustingly domestic and Clint loves it.

Nat catches sight of him on the stairs and quirks an eyebrow at him in question.

"Rogers called. We gotta be in New York by morning."

Cooper and Lila groan their protests as Nat hurries up the stairs, sharing a sad smile with Clint as she passes. Laura follows him into the kitchen and he sighs.

"I'm just a phone call away, sis. And I'm leaving you the Stark phone so if you need anything, it's a direct line to about ten different people who can be here in an hour or less if something goes wrong I can't get here."

Laura chuckles and and shakes her head fondly. "I'm ok Clint. Or at least, I will be. Me and Lila and Coop, we'll be ok here. Go avenge whatever it is that needs avenging."

He watches as Nat hugs his sister and kisses the kids and he can't help but throw an arm around her shoulders as they walk out to the Spyder (which looks ridiculously out of place parked next to Laura's mini van).

"What's this?" she asks giving him a dry look.

Clint just plants a kiss on her cheek and Nat laughs. "Well well, Clint Barton is a closeted family man and sappy romantic."

"As if you didn't know that when you married me."

She smirks and leans into him for a moment before she throws her bag in the car and hops in the driver's seat.

"Come on, Hawkeye. I’m driving."


End file.
